Electromagnetic pulse counter

ABSTRACT

A miniature electromagnetic pulse counter is provided. The counter employs a circular configuration of armatures the one of which has been operated last moves the next one to be operated to an intermediate position. The next pulse will then cause operation of the next armature etc.

United States atent Inventor Herald Gessinger Vienna, Austria Appl. No. 35,121 Filed May 6, 1970 Patented Aug. 17, 1971 Assignee International Standard Electric Corporation New York, N.Y. Priority June 18, 1969 Austria 5747/69 ELECTROMAGNETIC PULSE COUNTER 16 Claims, 10 Drawing Figs.

us. c1 317/157,

1 ieldofSearch .Q 335/106, 107, 119 120,-138; 317/157 References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,562,091 7/1951 Harrison 335/107 2,615,086 10/1952 Graybillet al. 335/138 2,668,207 2/1954 Bengtsson 335/1 19 FOREIGN PATENTS 191,493 8/1957 Austria Primary Examiner-Lee T. Hix

Attorneys-C. Cornell Remsen, Jr., Walter J. Baum, Percy P. Lantzy, J. Warren Whitesel, Delbert P. Warner and James B. Raden ABSTRACT: A miniature electromagnetic pulse counter is provided. The counter employs a circular configuration of armatures the one of which has been operated last moves the next one to be operated to an intermediate position. The next pulse will then cause operation of the next armature etc.

PATENTEU' AUG I 7197i SHEET 1 OF 3 I rwenlor HERALD GESSINGER A tlomey PATENTEU AUG] 71971 SHEET 2 OF 3 10 I mix] I PATENTED AUG] 7 Ian 3 500 641 I sum 3 or 3 ELECTROMAGNETIC PULSE COUNTER This invention relates to an electromagnetic pulse register which comprises a plurality of armatures, which are operable in a chronological sequence and of which the one which has beenoperated last moves the next armature to be operated in the chronological sequence to an intermediate position between a common attracting pole and a restraining pole, and sets of contacts, which are operable by the armatures and are movable by the latter from a first control position to a second control position in response to the attraction of one armature and adapted to be reset to the first control position in response to the attraction of the armature which succeeds the first-mentioned armature in the sequence.

Such pulse. register has been disclosed, e.g., in the Austrian Pat. Specification No. 191,943. That known embodiment has the disadvantage that it cannot be used on a printed circuit board because the circuit is too large and is not suitable in form forthis purpose and has no terminals which enable its mounting on a printed circuit board and can be connected by plugging or soldering to conducting strips provided on a printed circuit board.

Besides, the assembling of the known pulse register is complicated and expensive because the armatures and the enabling springs associated with them are arranged in line, respectively. These enabling springs move an armature from its position of rest to its enabled position after the end of the pulse which causes the preceding armature in the sequence to be attracted.

It is an object of the invention to provide for such electromagnetic pulse register a design which is suitable for mass production, avoids the disadvantages of the known embodiment, and can be assembled more easily and simply. This is accomplished according to the invention in that'the armatures are arranged in a star configuration around a core, which is dis posedin a pot-shaped yoke or main pole pot and the sets of contacts associated with the armatures are disposed on that side of the core which is opposite to the armatures and are combined in a mounting which is secured to the main pole pot, said sets of contacts are operable by cams, which are displacable by the armatures, that cam which is shifted by an armature which is being attracted moves the next cam to be shifted to an intermediate position so that the armature associated with that cam is moved by its mounting spring from its position of rest to an enabled position from which it can be attracted in response to the next pulse, each armature is held in its position of rest by the magnetic field which exists during a pulse and diverges from the restraining pole formed by a secondary pole ring, the set of contacts which are associated with the preceding armature and have been moved to their second control position'by the preceding pulse are adapted to be restored to their first contact position by the next pulse, whereas the set of contacts which are associated with the armature that is attracted by a pulse are adapted to move to their second control position in response to the next pulse.

The operation of the contacts by cams which can be shifted by the armatures and support one of the contact springs, and the use of the armature-mounting springs for the function which is carried out by the enabling springs in the known design results in a great simplification of the structure of the pulse register according to the invention.

Further desirable features will be explained more fully with reference to the drawings, in which FIG. 1 is an axial sectional view showing'the pulse register according to the invention. FIG. 2 shows part or the cams, armatures and contacts in a developed view of the periphery of the pulse register. FIGS. 3 and 4 show two special embodiments of the cams in pulse registers which are provided with a zero contact for indicating that all contacts are in their first control position. FIGS. 5 and 6 show a special form of armature-mounting springs. FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing a part of the sets of contacts. FIG. 8 shows a special design of the cams which are suitable for the sets of contacts of FIG. 7. FIGS. 9 and 10 show two further cross-sectional shapes of the closing and opening elements of the cams.

In FIG. 1, cams 1 are spaced around a core 9 and are axially displaceable by the armatures 2. FIG. 1 shows two armatures 2, one of which is shown in its position of rest and the other in itsattracted position. Hence, the cam 1 associated with the attracted armature 2 is shown in its displaced position.

Inthe embodiments of the pulse register according to the invention shown in FIGS. 1 and 5, the armatures 2 and the mounting springs 12 secured to-the core 9 are spaced around the core 9 between the main pole surface 10 of the integral main pole pot 26 and the secondary pole ring 11. The mounting springs 12form a starlike spring array, which is common to all armatures. The sets of contacts are secured to the main pole pot opposite to the armatures by a mounting 15, which is common to all sets of contacts. In the embodiments shown in FIGS. 1 to 4 and 7, the sets of contacts consist of a short contact spring 3 and a long contact spring 4 which in its position of rest engages a stop 14, which is mounted on a block 16. The short contact springs 3 are operated by closing elements 6 and the long contact springs 4 by the opening elements 5 of the cams 1 as soon as the latter are shifted by the associated armatures as the latter are attracted. The function of the cams and of the sets of contacts associated with them will now be explained more in detail with reference to FIG. 2, which shows the form of the cams with the two plungers, namely, the opening plunger 5 and the closing plunger 6. In FIGS. 2 to 4, the digits and numbers in quotation marks refer to the chronological sequence of the operations of the cams and sets of contacts. The reference numbers have no quotation marks. FIG. 2 shows the control position of a pulse register according to the invention having, e.g., l2 cams 1 and 12 sets of contacts in that contact position in which armatures 1" and 2 are attracted so that the cams l and 2" associated therewith are displaced and the armature 3" is in its enabled position after the end of the pulse 2" which has been entered last.

The last cam 2" displaced by the armature 2 has opened the contact 1 in that the opening plunger 5 operated the long contact spring 4 of the contact I." The last cam 2" shifted by the armature 2 has also closed the contact 2" in that the short contact spring 3 thereof has been closed by the closing plunger 6 of the cam 2." At the same time, the nose 7 of the cam 2 has positively engaged the shoulder 8 of cam 3" to shift the latter to such an extend that the armature 3" associated with that slot 3" was urged away by its mounting spring 12 from the secondary pole ring 11 and caused to approach the main pole surface 10 so that it can be attracted by the main pole in response to the next pulse whereas all other armatures 2, which are disabled, are held in known manner in their position of rest by the secondary pole ring 11. In FIG. 2, the armature l to be operated last is associated with the cam "1. Said armature can only be attracted in response to the first pulse which is received if the armature is in its enabled position, which is ensured by a stop 13. This determines that the set of contacts 1 will be closed first in the sequence as the armature 1 is attracted. When the cam l is shifted as the armature 1" is attracted, the opening plunger 5 of said cam must not operate the long spring 4 of contact 12 because in that case the latter could not be closed in response to a 12th pulse. For this reason, the opening plunger 5 of the cam I which is associated with the armature "I" is shorter to a certain extent that the opening plungers 5 of the other cams to a certain extent, which is at least as large as the contact stroke plus the thickness of the contact pieces mounted on the contact springs 3 and 4.

FIG. 8 shows another embodiment of the slots 1, in which the opening plungers 5 are cylindrical and the closing plungers 6 are tubular. The opening plungers 5 are coaxial with the closing plungers 6 and easily slidable therein. The opening and closing plungers may alternatively have the cross-sectional shapes shown in FIGS. 9 and 10 within the scope of the invention.

In, some cases it is desirable or even necessary toindicate by a normally closed or normally open contact known as zero contact that the pulse register is in that control position in which all armatures 2 are in position of rest and all sets of contacts associated with the armatures are in their first control position.

FIG. 3 shows an embodiment of the pulse register having a normally closed zero contact 0," which is associated with the armature 1. Hence, the number of contacts which are available for-storing pulses in this embodiment of the pulse register is less by one than the number of armatures and the number of contacts because the attracted position of the armature which precedes the amiature l is defined by a stop 17 so that the cam 1 has moved the succeeding armature 1 to its enabled position.

The opening plunger 5 of the th 1 associated with the armature 2- which is held in its attracted position should not operate the longispring 4 of the set of contacts 11" because in that case the latter could not store an 1 1th pulse which is received. For this reason, that opening plunger is shorter than the opening plungers of the other cams to the same extend as the opening plunger of the cam 1" associated with the armature 1" in FIG. 2.

When the first pulse is stored in that the armature 1 is attracted, the opening plunger 5 of cam 1 opens the contact so that the same acts as a normally closed zero contact and is not closed until the stored pulses are canceled.

The pulse register shown in FIG. 4 has a normally open zero contact. Two stops l3 define the enabled positions of respective aramtures 2. The cams associated with that armatures have opening plungers which are shorter to the same extent as the opening plunger 5 of the cam 1" in FIG. 2. In response to the receipt of the first pulse, both armatures 2 of FIG. 4 are attracted at the same time and shift the cams 1 associated with them so that contacts 0" and 'l are closed. Contact 0" remains closed until the canceling winding is energized to cancel the pulses stored in the register.

FIGS. 5 and 6 show a special design of the mounting spring ring 12, to which the armatures 2 are secured adjacent to their center of gravity so that they are almost in a neutral equilibrium in their position of rest. Beside the points 18 where the armatures 2 are secured, the mounting spring ring 12 has torsion spring portions 19, which cause an armature which is to be enabled to move to its enabled position when the magnetic field disappears which has attracted the preceding armature from its enabled position. Just as in the previously described embodiments of the pulse register, the peripheral end of each armature 2 extends into the airgap between the main pole surface and the secondary pole ring 11. That end of each armature which is near the axis of the core protrudes into an annular groove 20, which is formed on that end of the core 9 which faces the armature. Through the sidewalls 21 and 22 of the groove 20, the magnetic flux lines of the magnetic field pass from the core 9 to the armatures 2 when the latter are in position of rest and in attracted position. At the points 23, the mounting spring ring 12 is connected to a disc 24, which serves as an armature carrier and is secured to the core 9 at the end thereof which faces the armatures.

An important feature of the invention resides in that the armatures 2 are made from a material which has a pronounced magnetic saturation region and that the cross section of the armatures is dimensioned so that the armature material is magnetized into its saturated region when the armatures have been attracted in response to the attracting magnetic field in the magnetic circuit, whereas the material of the armatures returns into its region of maximum permeability when the attracting magnetic field is no longer energized. As a result, the armatures which have been attracted when a certain number of pulses have been stored form a high-reluctance magnetic shunt for the next armature to be attracted in response to another pulse so that they can only slightly reduce the reliability with which the further armatures are attracted.

To produce a sufficiently strong remanence field, the core9 consists of a hard magnetic material whereas the main pole pot, the secondary pole ring and the armatures consist of a soft magnetic material having a lowcoercive force.

The arrangement of the contact in a starlike array surrounding the central core 9 and in a common central mounting l5 affords the advantages that the peripheral ends of contact springs 3 and 4 may be enlarged so that they provide simple means for accommodating sufficiently large contact pieces 25, which ensure a low current density per unit of cross section, a good contact having a low contact resistance, and a good dissipation of heat.

I claim: I I

1. An electromagnetic pulse register which comprises a plurality of armatures, which are operable in a chronological sequence and of which the one which has been operated last moves the next armature to be operated in the chronological sequence to an intermediate position between a common attracting pole and restraining pole, and sets of contacts, which are operable by the armatures and are movable by the latter from a first control position to a second position in response to the attraction of the armature and adapted to be reset to the first control position in response to the attraction of the armature which succeeds the first-mentioned armature in the sequence, characterized in that the armatures are arranged in a star configuration around a core, the core is disposed in a pot-shaped yoke or main pole pot'and sets of contacts associated with the armatures are disposed on that side of the core which is opposite to the armatures and are combined in a mounting which is secured to the main pole pot, said sets of contacts are operable by cams which are displaceable by the armatures, that cam which is shifted by an armature which is being attracted moves the next cam to be shifted to an intermediate position so that the armature associated with that cam is moved by its mounting spring from its position of rest to an enabled position from which it can be attracted in response to the next pulse, each armature is held in its position of rest by the magnetic field which exists during a pulse and diverges from the restraining pole formed by a secondary pole ring, the set of contacts which are associated with the preceding armature and have been moved to their second control position by the preceding pulse are adapted to be restored to their first contact position by the next pulse, whereas the set of contacts which are associated with the armature that is attracted by a pulse are adapted to move to their second control position in response to the next pulse.

2. An electromagnetic pulse register according to claim 1, in which the cams are provided with two plungers at their ends facing the sets of contacts, one of said plungers deflecting a short contact spring of the set of contacts which are associated with the armature which operates the cam, the other plunger deflecting the other, long contact spring of the set of contacts which are associated with the preceding armature in the sequence when the cam is shifted by the attraction of the associated armature, said springs being deflected to perform a contact stroke which corresponds to the armature stroke.

3. An electromagnetic pulse register according to claim 1, in which the opening element of each cam is longer than its closing element to an extent which corresponds to the contact stroke required to a contact to move from its first control position to its second control position plus an additional distance, which depends on the design of the contact pieces, each contact being in its first control position when the associated armature is in its enabled position and each contact being in its second control position when the associated armature is in its attracted position.

4. An electromagnetic pulse register according to claim 1, in which each cam is provided with a nose and a shoulder so that the nose of the preceding cam in the sequence positively engages the shoulder of the succeeding cam in the sequence when the ar mature associated with the preceding cam is in its attracted position.

i 5. An electromagnetic pulse register according to claim 1, in which the opening element of each cam consists of an axial plunger which is slidably disposed in the tubular closing element of the preceding cam in the sequence.

6. An electromagnetic pulse register according to claim 1, in which the first armature which is operated in the sequence has associated with it a stop which defines the enabled position of said armature, and the cam associated with that armature has an opening element which is shorter than the length of the opening elements of the other cams to an extend which is at least as large as the contact stroke.

7. An electromagnetic pulse register according to claim 1, in which a stop is provided whichdefines the attracted position of the armature which in the sequence of operations precedes the armature which is in its enabled position, and said stop defines the set of contacts associated with said preceding armature as a zero contact O," which indicates that the pulse register is in that control position in which all armatures of the register are in position of rest.

8. An electromagnetic pulse register according to claim 1, in which the enabled position of two adjacent armatures is defined by respective stops and the opening elements of the cams associated with said armatures are shorter than the opening elements of the other cams at least to an extent which is equal to the contact stroke.

9. An electromagnetic pulse register according to claim 1 in which the mounting springs for all armatures constitute a mounting spring star which is common to all armatures and adapted to be secured to the core, and the individual springs of that spring star exert a force on the individual armatures in such a sense that said force causes an armature to move from its position of rest to its enabled position after the end of a pulse which has been entered.

10. An electromagnetic pulse register according to claim 1, in which the armatures consist of a magnetic material havinga pronounced state of magnetic separation and the cross section of the armatures is dimensioned so that the material of the armatures assumes a saturated state when they have been attracted and the attracting magnetic field is maintained in the magnetic circuit whereas the material of the armatures returns into its region of maximum permeability under the influence of the remanence field when the attracting magnetic field has been deenergized.

11. An electromagnetic pulse register according to claim 1, in which the main pole pot forms the yoke of the magnetic circuit and the core carries the attracting winding and the cancelling winding and is centrally disposed in that pot.

12. An electromagnetic pulse register according to claim 1, in which the contact springs of the sets of contacts are radially symmetrically arranged in a starlike configuration around the axis of the core and are enlarged at their peripheral ends so that correspondingly large double contact pieces can be attached to these ends.

13. An electromagnetic pulse register according to claim 1, in which the core consists of a hard magnetic material.

14. An electromagnetic pulse register according to claim 1, in which the main pole pot, the secondary pole ring and the armatures consist of a soft magnetic material having a low coercive force.

15. An electromagnetic pulse register according to claim 1, in which the contact springs of the normally open sets of contacts are combined in two parallel planes in the insulated central mounting, which is adapted to be secured to the main pole pot, and pluggable or solderable contact terminals for securing the pulse register to a printed circuit board are carried by said mounting.

16. An electromagnetic pulse register according to claim 1, in which the armatures are secured adjacent to their respective centers of gravity to an annular torsion spring, which is mounted on an armature carrier consisting of a disc which is mounted on the core, that end of each armature which faces the core is received by an annular groove which is formed in that end of: the core which faces the armatures, and the magnetlc flux lines enter the armatures from the sidewalls of said groove when said armatures are in position of rest, in attracted position and in enabled position. 

1. An electromagnetic pulse register which comprises a plurality of armatures, which are operable in a chronological sequence and of which the one which has been operated last moves the next armature to be operated in the chronological sequence to an intermediate position between a common attracting pole and restraining pole, and sets of contacts, which are operable by the armatures and are movable by the latter from a first control position to a second position in response to the attraction of the armature and adapted to be reset to the first control position in response to the attraction of the armature which succeeds the first-mentioned armature in the sequence, characterized in that the armatures are arranged in a star configuration around a core, the core is disposed in a pot-shaped yoke or main pole pot and sets of contacts associated with the armatures are disposed on that side of the core which is opposite to the armatures and are combined in a mounting which is secured to the main pole pot, said sets of contacts are operable by cams which are displaceable by the armatures, that cam which is shifted by an armature which is being attracted moves the next cam to be shifted to an intermediate position so that the armature associated with that cam is moved by its mounting spring frOm its position of rest to an enabled position from which it can be attracted in response to the next pulse, each armature is held in its position of rest by the magnetic field which exists during a pulse and diverges from the restraining pole formed by a secondary pole ring, the set of contacts which are associated with the preceding armature and have been moved to their second control position by the preceding pulse are adapted to be restored to their first contact position by the next pulse, whereas the set of contacts which are associated with the armature that is attracted by a pulse are adapted to move to their second control position in response to the next pulse.
 2. An electromagnetic pulse register according to claim 1, in which the cams are provided with two plungers at their ends facing the sets of contacts, one of said plungers deflecting a short contact spring of the set of contacts which are associated with the armature which operates the cam, the other plunger deflecting the other, long contact spring of the set of contacts which are associated with the preceding armature in the sequence when the cam is shifted by the attraction of the associated armature, said springs being deflected to perform a contact stroke which corresponds to the armature stroke.
 3. An electromagnetic pulse register according to claim 1, in which the opening element of each cam is longer than its closing element to an extent which corresponds to the contact stroke required to a contact to move from its first control position to its second control position plus an additional distance, which depends on the design of the contact pieces, each contact being in its first control position when the associated armature is in its enabled position and each contact being in its second control position when the associated armature is in its attracted position.
 4. An electromagnetic pulse register according to claim 1, in which each cam is provided with a nose and a shoulder so that the nose of the preceding cam in the sequence positively engages the shoulder of the succeeding cam in the sequence when the armature associated with the preceding cam is in its attracted position.
 5. An electromagnetic pulse register according to claim 1, in which the opening element of each cam consists of an axial plunger which is slidably disposed in the tubular closing element of the preceding cam in the sequence.
 6. An electromagnetic pulse register according to claim 1, in which the first armature which is operated in the sequence has associated with it a stop which defines the enabled position of said armature, and the cam associated with that armature has an opening element which is shorter than the length of the opening elements of the other cams to an extend which is at least as large as the contact stroke.
 7. An electromagnetic pulse register according to claim 1, in which a stop is provided which defines the attracted position of the armature which in the sequence of operations precedes the armature which is in its enabled position, and said stop defines the set of contacts associated with said preceding armature as a zero contact ''''O,'''' which indicates that the pulse register is in that control position in which all armatures of the register are in position of rest.
 8. An electromagnetic pulse register according to claim 1, in which the enabled position of two adjacent armatures is defined by respective stops and the opening elements of the cams associated with said armatures are shorter than the opening elements of the other cams at least to an extent which is equal to the contact stroke.
 9. An electromagnetic pulse register according to claim 1 in which the mounting springs for all armatures constitute a mounting spring star which is common to all armatures and adapted to be secured to the core, and the individual springs of that spring star exert a force on the individual armatures in such a sense that said force causes an armature to move from its position of rest to its eNabled position after the end of a pulse which has been entered.
 10. An electromagnetic pulse register according to claim 1, in which the armatures consist of a magnetic material having a pronounced state of magnetic separation and the cross section of the armatures is dimensioned so that the material of the armatures assumes a saturated state when they have been attracted and the attracting magnetic field is maintained in the magnetic circuit whereas the material of the armatures returns into its region of maximum permeability under the influence of the remanence field when the attracting magnetic field has been deenergized.
 11. An electromagnetic pulse register according to claim 1, in which the main pole pot forms the yoke of the magnetic circuit and the core carries the attracting winding and the cancelling winding and is centrally disposed in that pot.
 12. An electromagnetic pulse register according to claim 1, in which the contact springs of the sets of contacts are radially symmetrically arranged in a starlike configuration around the axis of the core and are enlarged at their peripheral ends so that correspondingly large double contact pieces can be attached to these ends.
 13. An electromagnetic pulse register according to claim 1, in which the core consists of a hard magnetic material.
 14. An electromagnetic pulse register according to claim 1, in which the main pole pot, the secondary pole ring and the armatures consist of a soft magnetic material having a low coercive force.
 15. An electromagnetic pulse register according to claim 1, in which the contact springs of the normally open sets of contacts are combined in two parallel planes in the insulated central mounting, which is adapted to be secured to the main pole pot, and pluggable or solderable contact terminals for securing the pulse register to a printed circuit board are carried by said mounting.
 16. An electromagnetic pulse register according to claim 1, in which the armatures are secured adjacent to their respective centers of gravity to an annular torsion spring, which is mounted on an armature carrier consisting of a disc which is mounted on the core, that end of each armature which faces the core is received by an annular groove which is formed in that end of the core which faces the armatures, and the magnetic flux lines enter the armatures from the sidewalls of said groove when said armatures are in position of rest, in attracted position and in enabled position. 